Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are both allegedly ready to enter the mid-season market in the hope of recruiting a proven striker.

For Spurs, current boss Tim Sherwood will be keen to relieve struggling Spaniard Roberto Soldado of the goal-scoring burden and may look outside of White Hart Lane in order to acquire a forward capable of bettering the club's current Premier League goal ratio that is worse than one per game.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have a solid spearheading attacker in Olivier Giroud but, outside that, are found wanting.

There are, traditionally, few elite-level footballers available for transfer in the January market and, considering Robin van Persie's groin/hip complication (an area of his body he also injured earlier in the year, in February, versus QPR), and Wayne Rooney's short-term groin/pelvis problem (the Englishman may well return as early as this weekend, against West Ham United), the odds of the club's fourth choice striker Javier Hernandez (after Danny Welbeck) being available have been lengthened.

Even the player's representative, Eduardo Hernandez, has noted the situation and believes that Chicharito's 'limited' appearances thus far will soon change - but at Stretford.

'I met Manchester United's people about 10 days ago and they confirmed that there has been interest from various European clubs but they don't plan to transfer him,' he said, as quoted by Express. 'They are aware that his impact has been limited but he will integrate more little by little.'

Even though he is used sparingly by United, Hernandez has long been a deadly hitman and, just last season returned a goal or assist once every 64 minutes on average in Premier League football. In League Cup competition this year, he is returning one goal or assist every 49 minutes on average.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, who have both been linked in the printed press with a swoop for the player in the last month, may have to move on from this one-time opportunistic target and focus their attentions elsewhere.